


Grom?

by screamingatstars



Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: 5+1 Fic, 5+1 Things, Brief blood mention, Canon Bisexual Character, F/F, Forehead Touches, Hugs, I’ll be your fearless champion, Mom Eda, Nervousness, gromposal, luz is a disaster bi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:01:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25767853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/screamingatstars/pseuds/screamingatstars
Summary: When Luz finds out that Hexside has its own version of prom, she decides to try and ask Amity to be her date. But it seems like every time she tries, something ends up stopping her.Or, five times Luz tried to ask Amity to Grom, and the one time she succeeded.
Relationships: Amity Blight/Luz Noceda, Gus & Luz Noceda & Willow
Comments: 18
Kudos: 537





	Grom?

**Author's Note:**

> We are officially less than a day out from Enchanting Grom Fright and I am not emotionally prepared. To take my mind off it, I decided to write a whole lot of Lumity with Luz being the disaster bi she is and trying to grompose to Amity. This ended up being a lot longer than I thought it would, but it was tons of fun to write!

1.

Despite how fantastically magical Hexside looked from the outside, Luz was quickly discovering that it had a lot more in common with her human school than she initially thought. Finicky lockers, confusing schedules, even more confusing homework… even the suspicious cafeteria food!

But of all the things that were the same, just with a Boiling Isles twist, a school dance was the last thing she had expected.

“What’s Grom?” She asked Willow and Gus one day, stopping to look at a large poster on the wall. 

“Hmm?” Her friends had continued walking, unaware that she had stopped, and now Willow turned around to face her. “What’d you say?”

“What’s this Grom thing?” Luz repeated, pointing to the poster. “These posters are everywhere, but I still don’t know anything about it, other than they apparently really need a decorating committee.”

Gus gasped in horror, hands covering his mouth, looking like he was close to bursting into tears. Willow just seemed surprised.

“You haven’t heard anyone talking about it?” She said. “It’s one of the biggest Hexside events of the year.”

“It’s got a gladiator fight and a cursed tiara and dancing! Does the human world really not have something like that? How do you  _ live _ ?” Gus added, voice cracking on the last word.

Luz perked up. “Wait, dancing? It’s a school dance?”

“I guess so,” said Willow. “There’s a lot of focus on the tiara and stuff, but there’s lots of dancing, too, from what I’ve heard.”

“Are you kidding?” Gus exclaimed, throwing his hands up excitedly. “The dancing is a huge deal! All anyone talks about for weeks before and after is who asks who to Grom, and who dances with who!”

Willow nodded confirmation. “I didn’t go last year, but Gus and I are planning to this year, as friends. I guess we forgot we hadn’t told you about it yet. Do you want to come with us, too?”

“Well…” Luz hesitated, shifting her weight nervously. “Actually, if it really is like a school dance, then there’s someone who I kind of want to ask. Maybe.” She decided not to mention who it was, and hoped that her friends wouldn’t ask. Even though she was pretty sure they wouldn't mind, she didn’t want to risk them taking the fact that it was Amity- had always been Amity- the wrong way.

But ask they did.

Both of them lit up, and she almost jumped back as they both leaned in close, eyes wide and curious.

“Who is it? Tell us!” Gus pleaded. 

“I didn’t know you even had a crush,” said Willow excitedly, “and now you’re thinking about asking them to Grom! That’s so great, Luz!”

Luz laughed awkwardly. “Uh, yeah…” she trailed off, distracted by something (or rather, some _ one _ ) over Willow’s shoulder.

It was Amity, turning a corner from the Abomination track hall and coming into her line of sight. She was alone, for once not surrounded by a bunch of other students, and Luz’s heart nearly stopped. Had she always been that pretty, or was it just because Luz was already thinking about her? Was she looking in her direction? Maybe this was her opportunity...

“One sec,” she said, squeezing between Willow and Gus and hurrying over before she could second-guess herself.

She came screeching to a halt directly in front of Amity, nearly smacking into her in her haste, and her pulse started beating wildly in her ears as she suddenly realized exactly what she was doing. 

_ What was she thinking, she couldn’t ask Amity here, in front of Gus and Willow and who knows who else, why did I do this, oh gosh she’s about to say something- _

“Luz?”

Amity was looking up at her. Since when was Amity shorter than her? Was Amity always this short, and Luz was only noticing now? This was definitely not helping the immense amount of bi panic flooding her system.

“Amity,” Luz squeaked, trying to sound nonchalant and failing spectacularly. “Hey, how’s it going? Nice weather we’re having, huh?” She cringed at her own words, but didn’t know what else to say.

Amity tilted her head slightly, brow creasing in confusion. “I guess?” She said, tone quickly growing worried. “Is everything okay? You look kind of… off.”

“What? Me? No, why wouldn’t I be okay? I’m doing just fine!” Luz tried to wave her arms in some semblance of a normal gesture, but it ended up turning into a sort of weird flailing that activated her ‘run away’ instinct. “Anyway, gotta go! Lots of stuff to learn!”

She turned on her heel and speed walked away, Amity’s hesitant “but the school day’s over?” quickly fading behind her, along with Gus and Willow’s questioning voices.

The second she was out of sight of both Amity and her friends, Luz collapsed against the wall, dragging a hand down her face and groaning. Clearly, this was going to be a lot harder than she thought.

2.

The next time the two of them were having their weekly ‘Azura book club’ at the library- which had mainly turned into studying sessions and chatting by that point- the thought occurred to Luz that now might be a good time to ask Amity to Grom. They were alone at a table, tucked away in a corner of the large open reading space. Amity was smiling, open, relaxed; no mask or front in place to hide her true self. 

If Luz was sure about anything, it was that this was the Amity she wanted to ask out. The one who forgot they were still technically around other people, who was sincere and awkward and even silly at times. The Amity who was sitting across the table from her right now, a textbook open in front of her, hair coming ever so slightly loose from its band.

Luz hadn’t even realized she was staring until Amity looked up and met her eyes.

“What’s up? You look sort of worried,” She asked, craning her head to get a better look at Luz’s notes. “Something come up in the book?”

“Oh, no, that’s going fine,” she said, grateful that she didn’t blush at being caught staring. 

“What is it, then?”

“Nothing,” Luz assured her, but the pang of guilt she felt at the lie had her rethinking. This was the perfect setup to admit what she wanted to ask; why not take the chance? “Wait, no. There actually is something I’ve been wondering, that I was hoping you wouldn’t mind me asking.”

Amity closed her book, giving Luz her full attention. “Okay, go for it.”

Luz took a deep breath.  _ Don’t mess this up, Luz, come on. _

“So,” she began, moving her hands to her lap so Amity wouldn’t see them starting to shake. “We’ve been friends for a little while, right? And it’s been, well, nice.”

“It is nice,” Amity agreed, smiling one of those soft smiles again. Luz’s heart skipped a beat, and she had to clear her throat before she could go on.

“Yeah, it really is.” She couldn’t resist returning the smile. She could never resist smiling when she was with Amity. “And, I was hoping that maybe, since we’ve been getting along really well, I think, and we both like spending time together- you do like spending time with me, right?” As soon as she asked it, Luz was kicking herself mentally at how stupid and desperate it sounded.

But Amity didn’t seem fazed. “Of course I do,” she said assuringly. “Go on.”

“All right.” This was it, this was it. “Anyway, I was thinking, that maybe- I mean, I was wondering if you’d-“

“Shh! This is a library!”

The harsh voice cut through her words, startling her into embarrassed silence as she hung her head. She hadn’t even noticed her voice starting to rise. 

“Hey, it’s okay,” said Amity softly, reaching out to put a steadying hand on Luz’s shoulder. “It was a simple mistake. You can still say whatever it is, right?”

“Never mind,” Luz muttered, slumping down in her chair until her chin was resting forlornly on the table. “It wasn’t important.”

Amity frowned, but she didn’t press the issue. “Okay, if you’re sure.”

And they went back to studying, the unasked question still hanging in the air between them.

3.

Luz barely had time to set her lunch tray down and take a seat before Gus and Willow were bombarding her with questions.

“On Friday, were you trying to ask Amity to Grom?”

“Did you actually go through with it?”

“What did she say?”

“Did you ask her over the weekend?”

Luz sighed, shaking her head. “Yes, no, nothing, no.” She poked the straw into her carton of apple blood. “I ended up getting all nervous, and I couldn’t actually ask her. Probably freaked her out, too.”

“Aw,” Gus said, looking disappointed. “Sorry that happened.”

“I’m sure you’ll be able to do it next time,” Willow added.

Luz looked up, not quite believing her ears.

“You mean, you’re not upset that I like Amity?”

“Oh, Luz.” Willow sat down next to her and put an arm around her shoulders. “Of course we’re not, silly.”

“But- but things are still rough between you and her, and I thought-“

“Luz.” Willow said, almost sternly. “Gus and I are your friends. That means we’re here for you, no matter what. If Amity makes you happy, and you want to try and ask her to Grom, then I don’t mind at all.”

“Neither do I,” said Gus, patting her arm. “Besides, if it gets you to go to Grom, it’s a good thing. Everyone always says how much fun it is. You’ll probably love it!”

There was a warm feeling spreading through Luz’s chest, and she smiled gratefully at her friends. “Thanks, you guys. You’re the best.”

Gus grinned. “Yeah, we know.”

Luz laughed, then finally moved to start on her lunch. She was able to spend about five minutes actually eating before her short attention span betrayed her and she got distracted.

To be fair, it was Amity, who was extremely distracting in and of herself, but still.

Luz watched, fork halfway to her mouth, as Amity walked across the room to take a seat at a table, several rows away from where the three of them were. There was something about the way she moved, and the way her hair swished back and forth, and the way she looked almost lost in thought that had Luz mesmerized. She wanted to know what was going on in Amity’s mind. She wanted to tuck a piece of her hair behind her ear and smile at her. She wanted…

She wanted to ask her to Grom. Right that second.

In an instant, Luz was up, crossing the cafeteria over to where Amity was. No plan, no preparation. Only a heart full of feelings and a confident conviction.

“You can do this, Luz,” she whispered to herself under her breath. “You got this. Focus.”

A moment later, she had almost reached Amity, and it was time to actually speak words.

“Amity,” she called out as she walked, waving. Amity turned around to face her, mouth lifting into a small smile as their eyes met.

“Hey, Luz,” she greeted, giving a small wave in return. Luz stopped next to her, a little out of breath after her impromptu decision to approach her crush.

“Amity, I have to ask you something,” she said, hands fidgeting with the edge of her uniform. 

Amity sat up straighter, something unreadable glinting in her eye. “Yes?”

“Do you want to go to-“

Before she could finish, someone shoved her, and Luz was falling to the floor before she could register what was happening. Her knees and hands hit the ground hard, sending shocks up her limbs, and she winced in pain, sitting up and looking around to find the person who pushed her aside.

“Ew, what’s the human doing over here?” It was Boscha, flanked on either side by other members of her posse, glaring down at Luz in disgust. “This is  _ our  _ table, in case you didn’t know.”

“Hey, don’t talk to her like that,” Amity said, standing up and crossing her arms. “She didn’t even do anything, so leave her alone.”

Boscha scoffed. “What’s gotten into you lately? First Half-A-Witch, now you’re defending the human? I thought Amity Blight was better than that.”

A chill shot down Luz’s spine. All thoughts of Grom and dates were chased out of her mind in the face of this new conflict, right in front of her. Unsure what to do, she stayed put, not wanting to risk making things worse by standing up and drawing attention back to herself.

Amity was staring Boscha down, expression fiercely cold. “You thought wrong. I’m not better than Luz.” Her gaze flicked down to Luz for the briefest of seconds before returning to Boscha. “But I am better than you.”

One of the girls behind Boscha gasped, and the other stifled a laugh. 

Amity grinned, triumphant, before leveling another glare at the gang. “Now get lost.”

The two other students turned tail immediately, whispering to each other as they did so. Boscha was left wide-eyed and lost for words, silent, until she, too, whirled around and stomped away.

“...woah,” Luz said quietly, slowly shifting and watching the three witches leave. “That just happened.”

Amity chuckled, offering a hand to help Luz stand up, which she eagerly took. 

She was so busy worrying that she would blush, that she completely missed the flush in Amity’s cheeks.

“Are you hurt at all?” She asked, looking Luz over quickly. “That was a hard fall.”

“Nah, I’m fine,” Luz said, waving away her worry. “I’ve had worse.”

Amity looked like she believed her, up until she froze, staring at Luz’s knee. “You’re bleeding!”

“I am?” Looking down confirmed it: her leggings were torn up at the knee and she was indeed bleeding. “It’s not that bad, Amity, I’m sure it’ll be fine-“

“Nope, we’re getting you taken care of,” Amity insisted, and when she grabbed her hand to lead her away, Luz couldn’t find any words to argue.

The question of Grom was put off yet again, leaving Willow and Gus to look on, mildly disappointed, as the two left.

4.

“So, have you asked Amity yet?”

Luz sighed, pulling one of her textbooks out of her locker’s mouth. “No, Gus, I haven’t. And at this point, I’m not sure if I’m ever going to.” She checked the cover to make sure she grabbed the right one.

“Wait, what? Why not?” Gus asked. “Do you not like her anymore?”

Luz nearly dropped the book on her foot. “Are you crazy?” She sputtered. “Why would I stop liking Amity? She’s  _ Amity _ !”

Gus shrugged. “I don’t know. I figured you wouldn’t give up on trying to ask, but if you’re not going to, that seemed like the best reason.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to ask her, trust me. I really, really want to! But every time I’ve tried, something happens and I can’t. I’m starting to wonder if someone put a curse on me without me noticing.”

Gus thought for a second, then peered at something behind her, and a mischievous look crossed his face. “Well, maybe now’s your chance to try again. She’s right behind you.”

“What?!” Luz spun around, and sure enough, there was Amity down the hall, walking away from them, carrying an armful of books. She didn’t appear to have seen either her or Gus, and she was once again alone.

“What are you waiting for?” Gus exclaimed, giving Luz a little push that, considering his size, didn’t actually move her all that much. “Do you like Amity Blight?”

“Gus,” She hissed, feeling heat rush to her cheeks, “not so loud.”

“Then answer the question!” He demanded.

“Fine, yes! I like her a lot!”

“You want to be her champion? You want to dance the night away with her?” 

“You know I do!”

“Then you gotta go and ask her, dang it!”

“Okay, then I will!”

“Good, now  _ go!” _

This time, the push had some force behind it, propelling her forward. She managed to keep her footing and keep going, striding forward with renewed determination. This was going to be it, she promised herself. She was going to tap Amity on the shoulder, take her hand, and ask her to Grom. Whether she said yes or not, at the very least, she was going to try.

So of course, right when Luz had every bit of resolve and encouragement that she needed, right when she was fully prepared to go through with it, the bell started screaming its one-minute warning. Amity glanced up at it, and Luz was able to see her startled expression as she picked up her pace, hurrying away and into a classroom, leaving Luz alone in the empty hallway, defeated. And three corridors away from where she needed to be.

“Aw, heck.”

On top of failing once again to accomplish her goal, she was also late to photo class that day.

5.

By the time Grom was a week away, Luz was starting to sweat. All her attempts to ask Amity had been squashed, and now time was running out. The decorating committee was working around the clock, hanging flowers and setting up lights all over the school, so there was no way for Luz to forget about the event. It was always in her line of sight, always on her mind.

That, and the fact that Amity still didn’t seem to have a date to Grom, despite being the most admired girl at Hexside, was not doing her nervousness any favors. 

Neither were her friends, for that matter.

“Luz, you gotta do something,” Willow said gently at lunch one day. “If you don’t ask her soon, then you’re going to feel terrible and regret it.”

“Plus, she’s probably going to end up going with someone else if you don’t make a move. You’re gonna miss your chance!”

Luz groaned. “I knooooow.” She put her face in her hands. “But either I panic and screw it all up, or something comes along to stop me. Maybe I’m not meant to do this after all.”

“Hey, hey, hey!” Gus protested, poking a finger into her arm. “None of that. The timing hasn’t been right yet, so what? All that means is you have to start thinking outside the box.”

“Outside the box?” She looked at him blankly. “What kind of box?”

Willow held up a finger. “I think our friend means the Hexside box, Luz. Stop relying on school to give you the chance and make it yourself!”

Gus pounded a fist onto the table. “Exactly!”

“I don’t know,” Luz said doubtfully. “I’ll probably wind up embarrassing myself even more.” When she looked up, she was forced to face both of her friends giving her pleading looks, and she had to give in. “I’ll think on it, though.”

“Yes!”

“You got this, Luz!”

———-

Later that day, at the Owl House, it was Eda who found Luz flopped across the couch, explaining the whole situation to King, who was perched precariously on one of the arms.

“And then the next time,” she was in the middle of saying, unaware that her mentor had entered the room, “I was  _ this close  _ to her in the halls, but then the bell rang and she ran to class!”

King cackled. “Ah, what I would give to possess the terrifying power of that bell. The intimidation! The command!”

Chuckling, Luz scratched at his chin, only to notice Eda standing in the doorway. She yelped, almost falling off the couch in her surprise.

“Eda!”

“Hey, kid,” Eda responded, raising a questioning eyebrow. “What’s all this yammering about? You look like you’re going through an existential crisis.”

Luz opened her mouth to respond, but King beat her to it.

“She’s got a crush!” He proclaimed. “And she wants to ask her to unite their forces!”

“What he means,” Luz hurried to explain, sitting up, “is that I’ve been trying to ask Amity to go to Grom with me.”

Eda stood silent for a second, before doubling over laughing, wiping at an imaginary tear. “Man, that’s a good one! You, liking that prissy Blight girl? Good one,” she managed, straightening up and smoothing her hair down. 

Luz rubbed the back of her neck, trying to smile but failing, and Eda stopped laughing. “You weren’t joking,” she realized. “You actually like that girl?”

“Yep,” Luz admitted, folding her hands in her lap, then settling them at her sides, before deciding to simply sit on them. “But so far it hasn’t exactly worked out too well.”

Taking in the sad look in her apprentice’s eyes, Eda stepped forward until she was close enough to take a seat on the couch. “Then you’d better get going,” she declared.

“What?”

“You heard me. Cheer up, find yourself something to eat, then get the heck out of here and over to her place. Don’t come back until you’ve popped the question, you understand?”

“Eda!” Luz blushed furiously. “It’s Grom, not marriage!”

“Eh, what’s the difference?” Eda said with a wink. “Either way, you do the same thing: go get your girl.” She ruffled Luz’s hair affectionately, voice softening. “You got this, kid. Trust me.”

———

An hour later, the only human on the Boiling Isles was standing outside of Blight Manor, having just walked through the open gates with a small flower in one hand and a ball of light floating above the other. The sun had just barely set, and the long shadows her light cast made the whole property look that much more imposing.

“I absolutely do not got this,” Luz muttered to herself, even as she carefully released her light just long enough to knock on the door. 

The few seconds of still silence between her knocking and the door actually opening stretched on forever, and in those seconds, the idea of running all the way back to the Owl House was starting to sound very appealing. But then the door was opening, and Luz straightened her spine as much as she could.

She didn’t recognize the man standing in the doorway, but his cloak bore the same four-pointed star as the giant windows on the house, and his hair was the same shade of green as Edric and Emira’s. He was tall enough that he had to look down to see her, and the disdain in his eyes as he examined her was almost enough to make her implement the ‘run away fast’ plan. Almost. 

“And who exactly are you supposed to be?” He asked, boredom dripping from every word. Luz gulped, hoping desperately that her voice wouldn't crack when she started to talk.

“I’m Luz, Luz Noceda,” she said, glad she had thought to make sure her hood was covering her rounded ears, and wondering for a split second whether she was supposed to bow or something. “Are you Amity’s dad?”

The man narrowed his eyes at her. “I’ve never heard of any Noceda family. How do you know my daughter?”

“We’re classmates at Hexside,” she said, proud of herself for standing her ground under his accusatory glare, and held up the flower like a shield. “I was hoping I could talk to her about something kind of important?” It came out as more of a question than a statement, but she was mostly grateful she didn’t flinch.

Amity’s father was already shaking his head before she was finished with her sentence. “Amity is very busy studying right now; she doesn’t have time to humor some  _ classmate.  _ Whatever you think you need to say can wait. You may speak to her during school hours, if she will tolerate you bothering her, which I highly doubt.”

“Wait-“

But the door was already closing in her face.

She stayed on the doorstep for a minute or two, vaguely wishing that Amity would appear. When there was nothing but silence, she gave up with a frustrated sigh, letting the flower slip through her fingers as she started down the long walkway back to the front gate. Even coming to Amity’s house was a bust.

Halfway, she stopped and turned around, staring sadly up at the manor. The whole building was dark, save for a single lit window on the ground floor, and another up on the next. Indulging, Luz let herself imagine that one of those rooms was Amity’s, and that she had seen Luz coming up the walkway, possibly even anticipating her arrival.

Suddenly, a familiar face appeared in the higher of the two windows, and Luz’s heart leapt.

It was Amity!

She was waving before she could stop herself, and quickly drew her hand down in shame- but not before Amity waved back, her smile just barely visible from a distance.

That smile, that tiny glimpse of a smile from the girl she had fallen for, was enough to give Luz an idea. A crazy idea, for sure, but an idea.

She set off down the road again, but turned off into the woods, newly motivated. Locating a clearing not too far from the edge of the trees, she rolled up her sleeves, pulled out her notepad, and set to work.

1.

“Sixth time’s the charm,” she told herself, triple-checking everything she had spent the last hour setting up. There were hidden pieces of paper laid out all over the clearing, all with a fully drawn light glyph, connecting together to form lines and curves that, when activated, would reveal a message. The question Luz had been failing to ask Amity for weeks now.

Finally satisfied, she took off in the direction of Blight Manor for the second time that day, this time forgoing a light spell. She ended up tripping over stray rocks or twigs more than once, but she simply brushed herself off and kept going. When she arrived, the gate was still open, and she hurried up the walkway, veering off at the last second. Standing underneath the window she now knew was Amity’s, she took a deep breath.

“You got this,” she whispered. Bending down, she searched the ground at her feet, finding a small rock the size of her thumbnail and hefting it in her hand. 

This was either going to go very well or very poorly, and it was anybody's guess as to which.

Taking careful aim, Luz threw the rock, watching with bated breath as it sailed into the air and clacked against Amity’s window. She didn’t hear the sound of glass shattering, which she silently celebrated, but the question now became: was it enough to get her attention?

The answer, as it turned out, was yes. Amity appeared in the window, and Luz waved her arms wildly until she caught notice. She gaped down at her, then fiddled with a latch and pushed the window open.

“What are you doing?” She whispered incredulously. “You shouldn’t be here! If my parents catch you, who knows what they’ll do to you?”

Luz cupped her hands around her mouth. “Don’t worry, they won’t catch me,” she said in as loud a whisper as she could manage. “Will you please come down here?”

“You're asking me to sneak out in the middle of the night?” Amity gasped. “Are you crazy?”

“Maybe a little,” Luz admitted, and she didn’t miss the way Amity seemed to relax a little as she said it. “Please, trust me. There’s something I wanted to show you.”

Amity hesitated, and an empty feeling started to build in Luz’s stomach as she wondered if her setup was going to be in vain. But then she whispered, “Alright,” and vanished from the window, only to reappear at the front door moments later. 

Luz grinned, running forward and pulling her into a hug. Amity’s hands settled onto her waist, and the unexpected warmth made her heart flip.

“Thank you,” she murmured into Amity’s ear. They remained like that for several seconds longer than was strictly necessary, and Luz had to force herself to pull away, reminding herself that she had an entire gromposal waiting in the woods. “Come on,” she said, motioning for Amity to follow. “This way.”

The two of them set off, the already-quiet sound of their footsteps muffled further by the sounds of nighttime: tiny clicks and chirps from who-knew-what creatures, the rustling of leaves in the trees, and even what sounded like screams in the far distance. 

Somewhere along the way, their hands brushed against each other. Luz pulled her hand away at first, feeling her face heating up, but then Amity gently took her hand, and all her thoughts stopped. She twined their fingers together, not fully believing that she wasn’t dreaming, and didn’t say a word. They walked in the dark and the silence, holding hands the entire way.

It was both far too long before they reached the clearing, and far too soon. Luz guided Amity over to the spot where she’d be able to see the activated message, waiting until she was settled onto the tree stump there, and then reluctantly let go of her hand. She missed it immediately.

“Why are we all the way out in the woods?” Amity asked. 

“You’ll see,” Luz answered, walking over to where she remembered placing the first light glyph. But when she squatted down to press her hand against the paper, her fingers touched only cool dirt. She sucked in a breath, frantically patting the ground all around her in search of it, fighting against the urge to panic.

“Do you need light?” Amity asked, and before Luz could even answer yes, a dim glow filled the small clearing. She smiled, turning around to say thank you, but froze, thoughts stalling as she forgot how to breathe.

Up until that moment, Luz hadn’t been able to see Amity fully. It had been almost completely dark, and even when they had talked at her window, it had only been from an angle. Now, with a light spell illuminating their surroundings, Luz could see one critical detail that she had previously completely missed: Amity had her hair down, and she was beautiful.

“Luz?” Amity said, and that was the second time she had been staring without realizing it. Except this time, she had definitely been noticed. 

“I’m fine, thanks for the light,” she blurted, whirling around so her flustered expression wasn’t visible. Thinking, it turned out, was much easier when she could take the time to actually process Amity with her hair down. Soon enough, she was able to regain her composure and check for her activation switch.

Looking at the surrounding ground, she was able to locate the needed paper, and moved to stand next to it. All she had to do in order to light up her gromposal was tap the glyph. That was it. 

Now that she was so close to actually, finally completing her quest- to asking Amity to Grom, for real- she found herself growing nervous again. Her palms started getting sweaty, and a whole swarm of butterflies started flapping around in her stomach. But she wanted to do this. She wanted to go to Grom with Amity, and it would never happen unless she asked. So she was going to.

With one last peek around at her whole array, Luz turned back around, clenching and unclenching her fists to try and relieve her nerves. Amity was still sitting patiently on the tree stump, albeit looking rather perplexed. The forest wasn’t trying to kill them, they were completely alone, and she had plenty of time. For once, this was going to work.

“Amity,” Luz started off, “I know I’ve been acting sort of… weird lately.”

“And that’s supposed to be unusual?” Amity teased, a twinkle in her eye. Luz smiled.

“Okay, you got me. But what I meant is, I’ve been trying to ask you something for weeks now, and this is where I finally get to do it. So, I was wondering…”

Taking a single step backwards, her foot landed squarely in the center of the paper, which she knew would activate the glyph, along with the entire chain of lights. Once she felt it give, she scuttled to the side and out of the way to observe.

Rising from the ground all around the clearing, tiny balls of light slowly consumed their own papers and floated up into the sky, shining like tiny stars. In the center of it all, directly in front of Amity, bigger and brighter lights rose in formation, making up the letters G-R-O-M and a question mark. Giddiness flooded Luz’s whole body, like her blood was filled with bubbles that might lift her off the ground at the sight. It had finally worked.

Now all that was left for her to do was wait, anxiously watching to see what the reaction- and answer- was.

Amity seemed transfixed by the display, gazing reverently up at the glowing letters. She was positively radiant under the lights, dots of yellow reflected in her eyes and glinting off her hair. Luz couldn’t hold in her longing sigh, and she slapped her hand over her mouth. Amity met her gaze, eyes shining and mouth pulling into a stunned smile. 

“Luz,” she breathed.

“Amity,” Luz answered, heart in her throat, and words started spilling out of her mouth. “I know I’m just a human, and I don’t know a lot of magic. But I really like you, and I’ll be your fearless champion, if you’ll let me.”

“Luz,” Amity said again, standing up, and then they were embracing.

Amity’s arms were around her back, squeezing her close, and Luz was holding her waist as she settled her chin onto her shoulder. Everything felt warm and light and perfect, and even more so when Amity whispered into her ear:

“Yes. I’ll go to Grom with you.”

Luz pulled back just enough so she could see the sincerity in her eyes, resting their foreheads together, disbelieving and soaring at the same time. Amity was smiling so wide, and the moment felt like it was frozen in time. The world had shrunk down to include only the two of them, together under the stars and the lights, and Luz decided right then that it was the best night of her life.

  
  



End file.
